Citizen of the Year nominees announced

SubmittedWaynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce

Saturday

Jan 27, 2018 at 12:00 PM

This year three outstanding volunteers have been nominated for Citizen of the Year. The nominees for the 2017 Citizen of the Year are Rev. Cindy Dack nominated by CASA of South Central Missouri/Pulaski County, Michael “Mike” Freeman nominated by the Pulaski County Salvation Army, and David Lowe nominated by the Rotary Club of Pulaski County.

St. Robert Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing for its annual Citizen of the Year Award to be presented at their Community Leadership Award Banquet. This memorable event will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018 at The ARK Community and Sports Center with social hour beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

This event is held to commemorate the hard work and dedication to community exhibited by our area leaders, non-profit organizations and civic groups, and announces the Citizen of the Year. In addition to the Citizen of the Year Award, the Chamber will be presenting awards for Charitable Business of the Year, Community Non-Profit of the Year, the Community Improvement Award, Educator of the Year, and Outstanding Contributor of the Year.

This year three outstanding volunteers have been nominated for Citizen of the Year. The nominees for the 2017 Citizen of the Year are Rev. Cindy Dack nominated by CASA of South Central Missouri/Pulaski County, Michael “Mike” Freeman nominated by the Pulaski County Salvation Army, and David Lowe nominated by the Rotary Club of Pulaski County. This award is intended to recognize individuals, not for a particular year of service, but rather to recognize a person who has performed outstanding and dedicated service to the community and/or towards helping others over time in the Waynesville-St. Robert area.

For more information about the Citizen of the Year and the Community Leadership Awards Banquet please contact the Chamber office at 573-336-5121 or e-mail info@wsrchamber.com.

Cindy Dack

Reverend Cindy T. Dack has always given of hertime, her finances, and her love to help others in our local community. She was born at fort Campbell, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and her father was a paratrooper during the Korean Conflict and lost his life in service to the United States Army. Cindy grew up in Columbia, MO of a large close family. She earned her bachelor in Science from Northeast Missouri State University In Social Work/Psychology and served in the Ivory Coast of Africa as a Health Care Coordinator for the Peace Corps. When she returned home to the United States she worked to earn her Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Missouri Columbia in with a focus in Clinical Social Work. To Cindy the more education you have the more you can reach out and help others and she earned her Masters in Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and became ordained as a United Methodist Elder.

She married Jim Dack (her JR. High sweetheart), and they are celebrating 35 years together. She is the ridiculously proud mother of Andrew Dack, who is a teacher of music to inner city children at two junior high schools in the Virginia Beach School System, and Caitlin Rudolph who works in Hospital Administration in Arlington Texas.

Cindy was the CEO for the Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence Center in Washington D.C. While in this position, she served on the Attorney General Reno’s Commission of Family Violence. When her family PCS’d to Hawaii, Cindy served as the Director of Adoptions for the Department of Family services in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has served three congregations of the United Methodist Church in the Central Texas Conference and is currently serving as the Director of Religious Education for Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Cindy has served as a Board Member of CASA of South Central Missouri for the past two years and on the board for CASA in Texas for Three Years. National Organization of Women for over five years, Board member for Genesis House, a Place for New Beginnings for the last six years, and the Women’s Clergy Council for several years. She is an active advocate and participant for “take Back the Night” which is a program which is active advocates against rape and sexual violence. She and her husband also support the Free Women’s Center, with their time and financial backing.

Cindy participates in community programs such as flood clean up, fundraisers, public speaking for those causes which she works towards bettering such as at the Women of Significance event every spring. She is a believer that we have to put muscle to our words. She and her husband Jim, brought a young woman and her toddler into their home for the past two years, supporting them financially and emotionally while the young woman attended professional training. That young woman is now applying for medical school. She works to support our scout troops, our elderly and of course those who are dealing with sexual abuse and domestic violence. She is a leader of a women’s support group, a teacher of Bible studies, a facilitator for a life skills support group and of late, working on a grant that will build a 24/7-day care and pre-school for our community. Cindy has recently been instrumental in bringing Marriage Encounter to our community as she believes that healthy, happy marriages are critical to happy, healthy communities.

Cindy has had a life of service and she embraced Fort Leonard Wood/Waynesville-St. Robert as her hometown.

Mike Freeman

A young man came to Waynesville-St. Robert on June 4, 1984, to accept a job as sales consultant with Seller-Sexton automobile dealership. Unknown at the time, our community was being blessed with a man who has three loves; loving and serving God and his son, Jesus Christ, loving and caring for his family, and loving his community with a commitment to make it a better place. This man was Michael S. Freeman.

As a young man, Mike felt the calling to serve God, through music, so he could show the young, middle aged and seniors how much God loved them. He started this ministry by playing the drums and later by singing. Upon his arrival to Waynesville-St. Robert, he continued his music ministry at Westside Baptist Church, where he now serves as Worship Leader of the traditional service. He shares his ministry of music throughout the Ozarks as a member of the southern gospel group called “Covenant Quartet”. Spreading the work of Jesus and his love for each of us is Mike’s number one priority.

Shortly after his arrival, he married his high school sweetheart, Marie, and they have enjoyed thirty-three years of marriage. God blessed their marriage with a daughter, Molly and friend Justin, a son Ivan and wife Tiffany, and grandson, Gunner and granddaughter Brylee.

Mike believes you can show the love of God through serving your community. He is a member of the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce, where he has served as President. He is the 2017 Honorary Chairman of the Salvation Army, which serves Pulaski County residents in financial distress. Their goal for the 2017 Tree of lights was $80, 000.00 and Mike was actively promoting and seeking donations. You will find Mike and his family ring the Salvation Army bell at “Christmas on the Square”. You may even be treated to a Christmas Carol or two. He is a member of the Rotary Club and participates in their service projects. Many charities and school organizations have benefited for the Ford Test Drive Program, Project Teach, and Cash for Touchdowns at Waynesville High School, which Mike coordinates and promotes for Seller-Sexton. Any project or program in which Mike participates, benefits tremendously from his enthusiastic promotion and “hands on” involvement.

David M. Lowe

Since 1994, David Michael Lowe has been an active volunteer member of many professional, military, civic, charitable, and religious organizations in Pulaski County, which include the following:

Member of the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce since 1997; Predident from 2004 to 2006, Board of Directors from 20002 to 2006, Chamber Ambassador from 2007 to 2016, Ambassador Emeritus of the Year in 2010, and CHOICES Program presenter every year from 2008 to 2016.

Member of the Rotary Club of Pulaski County since 2005; Board of Directors from 2009 to present, President from 2012 to 2013, Committee Chairs, Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2014 and 2017, Christmas on the Square from 2005 to 2016, Student Government Day (five years), Original Red Hot Red Hatters (two years), Veteran’s Day Parade (five years) International Student’s event host, and By-laws Committee.

Member of the Pulaski County Bar Association since 1997 and President from 2004 to 2006; volunteered his time by developing several initiatives to include a financial scholarship program to every high school in Pulaski County which is still in effect today.

Member of the Pulaski county Salvation Army Board of Directors from 2005 to present; Honorary Chairperson Tree of Lights Campaign in 2004, Bell Ringer every year from 2005 to present.

Volunteered countless hours by providing free legal services to military personnel and veterans in Pulaski County without financial means; volunteered to server as the Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Missouri Bar Association’s Veteran’s and Military Law Committee from 2007 to present. Appointed as member of Attorney General’s Military Legal Assistance Team Advisory Board in 2017 to volunteer his time to organize free legal services to veteran in need throughout Missouri.

Volunteered his time to educate the citizens and veterans in Pulaski County by providing more than 15 presentations to various club and organizations on Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning, constitutional law, military law and the Missouri National Guard from 1997 to present.

Member of Maranatha Baptist Church from 1994 to present; served as a member of the Board of Trustees form 1997 to 2010; Church Choir form 1994 to present; organized Church Bill Ringing Program for the Salvation Army; Organized Usher Program and served as an usher and in many other ministries from 1994 to present.

Member of the Pulaski County Justice Center Task Force Committee and volunteered numerous hours in researching and developing plans for a new jail in Pulaski County from 2016 to present.

Member and volunteer in the American Legion, Association of the United States Army, Military Officer’s Association of America, Armed Forces YMCA and Gideons International from 1998 to present.

David is Married to Victoria LeeAnn Lowe (Fiebelman) and is actively involved with their four children; Grace, Sara, Lauren and Jon. In addition to being a devoted husband and father, he is also an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing, white-water rafting, canoeing and camping.

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